I hope this means Michelle and Barack will lay off lecturing us about what foods we ought to eat. Or will the next photo op be in the setting of the White House vegetable garden?

What are we to think of all this burger eating? Those little girls are slim, certainly not obese, but what are other little girls supposed to think? They want cheeseburgers and malts too. What's the secret? Maybe the hamburgers are cut in quarters and each girl gets a 200-calorie little sandwich along with a a 100-calorie portion of the malt. Really, how do you do it? (Certainly not by throwing up!) The little girls of America need some health-care info from the family that has undertaken to oversee our health.

Now, one more thing. Why was the female component of the Obama family deployed yesterday? The linked NYT blog says "Someone in the White House obviously had a hankering for an Obama burger." Now, I'm going to throw up. This is political. Here's a clue:

Please... the occasional awesome lunch of burger, shake, fries, and rings isn't going to make you fat. If you do it every day, or more often than not, it will, and you'll get acne, too, but c'mon, let those girls live.

Although I have to say, my kids would scrape off most of the toppings on that burger, they'd rather have your basic bacon cheeseburger than all that fancy-schmancy stuff (which sounds delicious to me, except the malt which has way too much junk in it.)

I thought Althouse was being funny with the rant about the burger eating and snark about healthy examples but the very first comment on the page at the link was exactly that, only serious.

Oh, Dear God.

We eat meat and bread and it's not considered good food?

I can see worry about the deep fried onion rings and french fries but really! We don't need to quit eating we need to get off our butts.

(I've done the "cut into quarters" thing when I had very small children. We'd get one double mushroom and swiss burger at Jack in the Box and fries and share a soda. The baby was still too young and the three older kids and myself would divide the rest. It really was enough, and I didn't have to throw away $15 worth of uneaten food.)

It is possible that this was all a photo-op. But it's also possible that one of the daughters just wanted to get out and have a burger. I'm glad Mom and the daughters could have a nice lunch -- even if there probably was a lot of staff interference.

Yesterday I had grilled pork loin with beans from the garden and cantaloupe and chocolate milk (from a bottle!). But a nice juicy burger would have been great.

It does seem odd for a family bent on forcing people to live healthy, environmentally sustainable lives to be constantly going to burger joints. And it's never McDonald's, it's always some place expensive and trendy. Of course, to even notice something like that you'd have to be concerned with financial sustainability, the last thing to enter a reporter's or a politician's mind.

I have an idea! Stop making a fuss over what the Obamas do, how they live. They are all in great shape, seem very healthy, have great health coverage, exercise a lot and so forth. Now let us tend our very onw lives instead turning to others. Michelle never said we are to emulate their children or her.

"If the Obama's continue to eat this Red State Flyover Country food, they could lose the support of the NY Times. Heh."

I think it's against the rules for Red State Flyover Country food to contain blue cheese (crumbled) or red onion marmalade (whatever the heck that is) though I'm pretty sure horseradish mayo is acceptable (if odd) and bacon is not just acceptable but necessary. ;-)

It is possible that this was all a photo-op. But it's also possible that one of the daughters just wanted to get out and have a burger.

It's also possible for them to have a burger break without press releases and the full menu details. It's possible they could persuade the press to keep their girls out of the newspaper (as the press did with the Bush girls, once they stopped appearing in police blotters.)

However, the Obama girls are cute and photogenic and media and voter friendly. Just like Buddy and you know how that turned out for Buddy.

From a June 17, 2009 Washington Post article by Jane Black entitled, Young Eaters Mind Their Peas & Cues: First Lady Hopes Lessons Of Gardening Take Root"Michelle Obama also explicitly linked healthful eating to two major legislative initiatives: the reauthorization of child nutrition programs, which fund school breakfast and lunch programs, and health-care reform. American eating habits, she noted, have changed dramatically since she was growing up -- "and I don't think that was that long ago."

During her childhood, she said, fast food was a treat, desserts were reserved for special occasions, and all the kids in the neighborhood went home to have dinner with their families. Since then, childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed: Nearly one-third of children in the United States are overweight or obese, and diet-related health issues cost $120 billion annually. "Government has a role to play," Obama said.

The President's kids are off base, except when the opportunity exists to use them to reshape the dialogue.

To all you wingnuts out there who think that this health care legislation will lead to the government forcing us to make healthy choices, it surely won't involve giving up the burgers, shakes and deep fried food that Michelle and the girls are eating.

OR...

Dad might be in the dog house, but we're still a family unit, and still living in the White House.

By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems.

Yes I must not have a sense of "irony" because I don't find the humor of one of the Althouse Hillbillies posting "Michelle is preparing the girls to get some junk in their trunk. Otherwise they will be called Oreo Chicken Heads and not be black enough."

Synova - and the frightening thing is that when libDems say things like "they aren't real Americans", that feeds the Glenn Becks with their "we are on the verge of a Civil War 2.0" rhetoric. I'm afraid real violence might break out in these town hall meetings due to this potent vicious brew...

I don't know about Glenn Beck, Alex. I only catch him in bits and pieces when someone links to You Tube or some such. I've been warned against him by a liberal friend who insists that it's a horrible thing to even listen, which seems odd because I expect to disagree if necessary. So far, though, what I've seen seems pretty unexceptionable.

And if he's warning about Civil War 2.0... is that different than what you just did worrying about things turning violent?

It's not TOO hard to see, I suppose, if well dressed old people can be transformed into Anti-American Mobs who have to be shut up by mobilizing labor unions, well, it will hardly be because Glenn Beck told Grandma to get in anyone's face.

Synova - believe me Glenn Beck is riling up normal Americans. I had to tell my mother to stop watching that blowhard because she was ranting every day to me his garbage! I think if we have a Civil War 2.0, Glenn Beck will be remembered as on of the primary instigators.

I have to say that Glenn Beck does indeed seem to be riling up some folks, Synova, my (sincerely) beloved father-in-law, with whom I just spent a week, among them. I do make a point of watching his show once a week, at least, because a number of people close to me reference him often and because I like to keep up along the spectrum. In my opinion, while he certainly makes some good points, he does tend to go over the top, to appeal to fears and in some cases the more hysterical strains of political fever.

So Le Lee is a self-hating white person? Where did he state that he is white? If he is white and his last name is Lee, then he is probably a hillbilly. A self-loathing hillbilly. And that's just sad. Stand up and be proud of your roots in American soil. Don't be an insane hater like Cookie or an illiterate tax-dodger like hdhouse. Be a man. Man up. Quit being such a liberal pussy.

My brother loves Glenn Beck. The only time I ever caught any of his show there was a funny fake commercial about how the dollar store down the street took a government bailout so now they are 5 bucks.

I don't think being concerned about violence is the same thing as insighting it. And so far, it's the union guys who are throwing the punches as far as I can tell (Synova, that quote "you attacked america" says it all doesn't it?)

People must be allowed to have their voices heard and when their congress criters are so obviously ignoring them about something so important, they are going to get angry. People complain about lots of things, taxes and whatever else, but healthcare is something that will affect everyone on a very personal level. This is not just another random waste of money.

Freeman, I think people are responsible for themselves (and you don't need me to tell you here how much I agree we aren't to be owned). But while Beck does make a point of saying "peaceful," it does, often enough, smack of bit of a "don't throw me in that briar patch" vibe, at least to me. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. It's hard to put a finger on it, and I'll accept the consequences of my not being able to explain my gut caution better. He just sets off my radar, and I simply can't view him without caution. He doesn't scare me, but I don't trust him, either.

Hey, Lee Lee - you started the hillbilly name calling, and now you have the audacity to call us racial? You are indeed a stupid person. Clueless and stupid. Clueless, liberal, stupid and, what's more, you never answered the question. What's the matter lil fellow, ashamed of what you are? You know that as a liberal, all you have is what color you are, and anything else that you have accomplished matters not one bit. Which box did you check on the form in order to get special treatment, eh little guy? Come on, tell us all about it. You can trust us...

Methadras wrote "Michelle is preparing the girls to get some junk in their trunk. Otherwise they will be called Oreo Chicken Heads and not be black enough."

An Althouse Hillbilly is never at rest. Ann, you must be so proud.

Let me help you out here. If I was black and I said this very thing, would you have called me a Hillbilly then? You see, I don't go around having to disclaim myself when I can use perfectly good stereotypes to help someone like you try to understand humor. But then again, liberal, weepy vaginas like yourself are always feeling mushy and guilty whenever they see a tinge of what they think is bigotry or racism. But then again, leftist ilk like you are humorless dicks.

Maguro - you are correct! And what's worse than an improperly set up still? I mean, what, did he marry his second cousin instead of his first cousin? Did he go to a dentist? He's not shiftless and unlettered?

Kool menthols to be specific. Oh no, there I did it again. I've made an egregious stereotype about black smokers. Oh no, how will I ever pass the L. E. Lee self-hating Caucasian, sandy, weeping, gaping vagina test now?

(And, in fact, I just gave my husband a mild what-for for not answering his phone in his office, just downstairs. He claims he was playing his guitar so loud he couldn't hear the phone right next to him. I, on the other hand, in effect was claiming I couldn't walk down one simple set of stairs. LOL.)

I think that Beck reaches an audience that might not otherwise hear about what's going on, and I think that's good. And I don't mind a little rousing because the truth is that we've been WAY too complacent, and statism has been making huge gains.

No, my race is none of your business you racially obsessed twits. Why don't you organize a boycott at your next NAAWP meeting of the Nickelodeon Channel for continuing to show reruns of the Beverly Hillbillies.

No one on the Althouse blog (including the blogger) seems happy that the Obama administration apparently just killed the Taliban's top terrorist.

If Obama captures Usama bin Laden himself (something Bush had the best chance to do at Tora Bora, but FAILED), I'm sure the right-wingers of the Althouse blog will be obsessing on some trivial bullshit that day instead.

Freeman Hunt: If things someday come to violence, the politicians can blame themselves for thinking they own us. They don't, and we won't be owned.

Is this a threat? If you hate Obama so much, win the next election.....

LoafingOafRepublicans think their country has been taken from them and many can't handle a man named Barack Obama being their president so, naturally, they will never acknowledge that the head of the Taliban has been killed on Obama's watch. I expect Rush on Monday to say something like, "They killed the leader of the Taliban while he was relaxing and smoking a cigarette in his cave - it wasn't a fair fight."Recall when the Somali pirates were killed the attitude was that it was somehow a bad thing because they had in fact killed teenagers. As if brainwashed teenagers with guns are somehow less to be feared than twenty-somethings with guns.

"...they will never acknowledge that the head of the Taliban has been killed on Obama's watch. I expect Rush on Monday to say something like, "They killed the leader of the Taliban while he was relaxing and smoking a cigarette in his cave - it wasn't a fair fight.""

He, and his wife, were killed by bombs dropped in an attack within the borders of a country with which we are not at war.

Glad he's dead. Hope it was the Air Force got him.

It's got nothing to do with being "fair" but please don't pretend that you wouldn't be crying like a baby about war crimes if Bush did it.

"Recall when the Somali pirates were killed the attitude was that it was somehow a bad thing because they had in fact killed teenagers."

A clue, for free.

That was sarcastic commentary on the extreme hypocrisy of the anti-war left.

Bush did everything he could not to destabilize Pakistan even when it hampered our war efforts.

(better)

That the anti-war left criticized him for *not* violating Pakistani sovereignty only showed that they were first and foremost anti-Bush and all of their protests about international law and the evil of pre-emptive action, the dread Bush Doctrine, and were all bald self-serving out-right liars.

Amazingly, the right does believe they are the real victims at these townhalls. They shout down speakers, proudly display swastikas and effigys, and accuse the other side of being nazis. The full blown psychotic projection is quite the spectacle. Bill Maher is right. This country is too fucking dumb to survive.

My problem with the Teabaggers is that, when I look at them, their appearance, their tone, their voices... they are people whose idea of what's "American" clearly excludes many of the people I love. AND they are aggressive about that exclusion. I can understand their arguments such as they are, but these are not very interesting or sophisticated arguments. They leave out or don't even see large chunks of what makes the world turn.

I also understand why people are so sick of being accused of racism... it's a cavernous subject, race. It requires you to be introspective which I understand many people find irritating. Racist attitudes are also deeply ingrained and passed down, so it makes sense that they are hard to perceive/change. But it would be nice if folks would approach such topics with a bit of humility and mutual respect, rather than over the top contempt.

For my part, when people talk about Michelle's fat ass and fish lips, it makes me sick and I want to hurt that person... you have to understand that there's a history that informs such sensitivities.

I think Garage should point out just exactly when and where the protestors were "proudly" displaying swatstikas. I know SanFranNan said the same thing, and I think it's a deplorable low point in our political history when the leader of one-third of our federal government is so totally clueless as to assert such a thing.

Meade: That article quotes Michelle Obama as saying, “You know, we want to make sure our guests here and across the nation are eating nutritious items." Wow! You're absolutely right that that makes it sound like the Obamas are going to "oversee our health."

But does anyone actually believe that the Obamas are going to make sure that Americans in general eat nutritious food? That's so implausible that it's hard to imagine that she's being at all accurate in describing anything the administration is actually going to do.

the Obamas are going to make sure that Americans in general eat nutritious food?Look at what the Democrats did to the tobacco industry when they stopped getting their campaign extortions. All in the name of recouping state-provided healthcare. So yes, they'll raise the price of "unhealthy" foods in the name of cost-saving.

so your point is that we as a nation need to just ignore what the president and his family say because nobody can believe what they say they will do? Can I quote you on the healthcare bill also since that tells us what they intend?

"I also understand why people are so sick of being accused of racism... it's a cavernous subject, race. It requires you to be introspective which I understand many people find irritating."

No. Being accused of racism does not require introspection at all. All it requires is having a liberal disagree with you.

"Racist attitudes are also deeply ingrained and passed down, so it makes sense that they are hard to perceive/change."

They didn't used to be hard to perceive at all. Racism was simple and forth-right. It had to do with whether or not you felt that there were inherent racial differences or attributes or if you did not. And if you did not believe that was true, it had to do with whether or not you made assumptions about people you did not know based on prejudice or if you did not. That was a little less obvious and might require some introspection, but it was still mostly forth-right.

"But it would be nice if folks would approach such topics with a bit of humility and mutual respect, rather than over the top contempt."

Certainly some mutual respect would be nice.

I'm not at all convinced that the modern, hard to detect and change theories of racism deserve anything other than contempt, however, particularly as they seem to have nothing at all to do with one's beliefs about racial differences, superiority, or prejudice. Not a thing to do with personal attitudes or subconscious assumptions but simply the color of your skin and whether or not you accept without rancor your inherited and inherent racial guilt.

John Althouse Cohen: "But does anyone actually believe that the Obamas are going to make sure that Americans in general eat nutritious food? That's so implausible that it's hard to imagine that she's being at all accurate in describing anything the administration is actually going to do."

Make sure? As in dictate? No, I don't think the Obama's plan to dictate what we can or cannot eat.

Is it implausible that they plan to supervise (oversee) the health of Americans in general, including regulation of our diet and nutrition?

Freeman, some union thugs at an event attacked a guy. What other events are you referring to? How do you get to the statement that those guys are Obama's goons? Note: I'm asking for facts, not defending the union thugs in question. But you're making a much broader accusation.